New Year, Same Rut
It’s
the new year, time for a fresh start. This sounds great in theory, but I’m currently feeling like I’m stuck in such a rut, and it’s hard to decide where to start when there are
so many things I’d like to change. I’ve found that as a stay at home mom, it’s especially easy to end up stuck in a rut. When
I’m not getting out of the
house regularly, I’m usually scrolling through
Zulily’s daily deals on my iPad,
third day hair in messy ponytail, wearing sweatpants I found on the floor. This
is not a pretty picture, but let’s
be real y’all. Even if “getting
out of the house” just looks like running out to Walmart for milk and
bread, I still feel so much better when I’m out and getting things accomplished. Ruts have
been happening for me way more than I’d care to admit, and this year, I’m
setting out to fix that.
Here are my goals for 2016:
Better sleep. It all starts here folks. When you don’t get enough sleep or you
aren’t
sleeping well, things don’t get accomplished. Simple as that. On the worst days, I come
home and nap and barely do a thing between morning drop off and afternoon pick
up. This does not do good things to my ego. Better sleep = better days. What I’m changing: 11:00 is bed time. Not lay in bed and surf the internet time,
real bed time. I’m also tracking my sleep with my new Fitbit Flex. On really
rough nights when I can’t get to sleep, Tylenol is a major help. I’m usually restless 17-20
times per night, but after taking two regular Tylenol before bed just once, the
next three nights I was restless 7, 3, and 0 times. Getting a good night of
sleep made subsequent nights that much better!
Self care. I am important, and so are you. I love being a mommy, and I
think about my daughter way more than I think about myself, but if I don’t take care of myself and
I’m
at the end of my rope, I can’t be the mom I want to be. I can’t be the mom she NEEDS me to be. What I’m changing: What
ever gives you life, do that. For me, it’s showers, makeup, jewelry, and nice nails. No more three day hair. Even when I
feel too busy to do anything for myself, I’m making the time. I’m getting up early enough to do my makeup before waking
Reagan. Even if all I’m wearing is some yoga pants and a plain tee, I’m still grabbing at least
one piece of jewelry before I walk out the door. Reagan and I do our nails
together. We bond, and when I look at my nails it makes me want to take care of
myself. Everyone wins.
Financial
management. I haven’t been the best at saving, and it’s caused me a lot of undue
worrying and stress. As someone with anxiety, stress here spills over to all
aspects of life. What I’m changing: I’m using budgeting printables from Pinterest to put it all out
on paper. Before I buy anything, no matter how small, I’m praying about it and
really considering if this purchase is necessary in this moment. Intentional
spending is crucial. When I let myself buy without thinking, not only do I
usually regret it, but I end up tempted to do it again. Even when I’m in a financially stable
place, spending without thinking is wasteful and leads to stress.
Better
risks. I have an etsy shop made with
nothing in it. There are so many ideas of written down but haven’t actually made yet. I
have tons of projects planned that I want to post about. Photo shoots, recipes,
crafts, trips, products and books to share. I know all about taking risks.
Hitting the snooze button just once more and still trying to get there on time,
not studying enough and still trying to ace the test, just one more cupcake but
maybe it won’t go to my hips if I exercise enough. Sure, I take risks every
day, but are they the right ones? What I’m changing: I’m going out on stable limbs. If it’s not beneficial (ex. all
the things I just admitted to doing), I just need to save my time and energy for
the risks that are worthwhile. This year I will be building my business,
blogging regularly, doing fun things I would normally be tempted to skip,
taking a few classes on hobbies I’ve been wanting to try (Craftsy!), and other things outside my
comfort zone that will enrich my life.
Less procrastination. I
have the terrible habit of putting off everything from class assignments to
getting out of bed until the very last minute. This is one of my biggest
stressors and yet I haven’t changed, until now. What I’m changing: I’m praying over how I spend my time. God wants me
to use the time I’ve been blessed with
wisely. Talking with Him keeps things in perspective and makes me want to be
intentional about how I spend my time. Less time wasted means less stress and
more time doing the things that matter, and that sounds like a wonderful change
for me.
More exercise. I
work and attend college from home. I’m a
stay at home mom. I’m not out and about often,
and I have reason to sit at my computer basically all day. The last couple
years of this have equated into less and less time moving. Virtually no
exercise has taken a huge toll on my health and my self esteem. What I’m changing: I’m getting up and getting moving! I’m using my Fitbit Flex to track my steps and
starting out with a 10k step daily goal. I just started last week and I already
feel SO MUCH BETTER. Walking is easy and I know I can stick to that. I’m not going to set myself up for failure by
trying to commit to something intense when I’m
not ready for that. I sneak walking in all the time throughout my day. Everyone
has time for this! I walk while the microwave is counting down, while I’m brushing my teeth, when I’ve been sitting at my desk for a while I hop up
and walk for a few minutes. I walk in place, outside, around the house. My
Fitbit Flex keeps track of my steps, and I love that all I have to do is look
at my wrist to find out where I stand with my goals. It’s exactly the motivation I need to keep moving
all day. My friends and I also use the Fitbit app to challenge each other and
that works wonders as well.
Good nutrition. I
feel pressed for time 24/7 from stress and procrastinating too much which
leaves me with very little time. It’s
much easier to reach for a quick fix with poor nutritional value when I’m busy than to take the time to fix a healthy
meal. I’ve let this business be my
vice for far too long. What I’m changing: I’m making better eating choices. It is faster to
grab something at home than to hit the drive thru, no matter what I try to tell
myself. I don’t NEED that coffee while I’m running errands, I can just fix a much
healthier one at home and bring it with me. And when I don’t feel like cooking my lunch, I can grab an
organic Lean Cuisine instead of unhealthy alternatives and have a much
healthier lunch that I love in the same amount of time. I’m also giving this one to God. When I talk to
him about my choices and think of my body as the wonderful gift from Him that
it is, it makes me want to treat myself better. Correct portion sizes, fresh
fruits and veggies, and unprocessed protein are delicious fuel. I will not
limit or restrict myself, I’m simply making better
choices and changing my perspective. I’m tracking
my calories in the Fitbit app so I know where I stand with the calories I’m taking in. I’m
also drinking Plexus Slim and taking the Plexus Xfactor multivitamin daily.
More time outside. When
I’m sitting in front of my
computer working and studying, or cleaning and organizing the house, or the
million other things I feel like I need to do NOW, I don’t take the time to get outside and get fresh
air. This is so unhealthy!! What I’m changing: Every
single day that weather permits, I’m
going outside for a minimum of 15 minutes. Sunshine and vitamin D and taking
the time to stop and enjoy this beautiful world He created does me so much
good, and it is important that I make time for this. It is such a mood lifter!
Tidy living. When
I’m feeling super exhausted,
it’s hard to motivate myself
to tackle the clutter in my house. Then I look around at the mess that’s already taking over and I feel that much more
exhausted because I don’t know where to begin, and
so the cycle continues. What I’m changing: Every
morning, I’m starting a load of
laundry. Even if I don’t do any laundry for the
rest of the day, at least I know we’ll
have some clean clothes ready to go. It doesn’t
have to take up my entire day to make a difference. I’m also taking 15 minutes to take on the clutter.
I pick a room, grab a trash bag or bins for organizing, and set the timer on my
phone. 15 minutes of intense cleaning gets so much more done than sitting on
the couch stressing about everything I need to do and the lack of time I have
to accomplish it all!
Choosing JOY. This
is my word for 2016. I prayed for God to show me what I needed to focus on this
year. I asked Him to give me a word that could be my mantra. I was cooking
dinner and listening to the Christian music station, and a song came on that
really struck home with me and made me think of joy. I have a beautiful
necklace with the words Choose Joy on the front, and it’s always been a sentiment I loved. When I
stopped to think about how I’d been feeling lately, I realized
that I had NOT been choosing joy. I’ve
been letting the negativity of situations cloud out the good parts of my day,
and it was stealing my joy. My biggest mission this year is to change that. What I’m changing: I’m putting my focus on the bright side of
everything. When my daughter is pressing on my last nerve and I’m about to lose it – how blessed I am to have
this issue. I have a child that I love, I am a wonderful mother, and I am so
blessed that I have an independent little girl that I get to work through these
issues with. When I’m feeling exhausted and
worn out – I’m so lucky to have this
body that has never failed me, and a bed to go rest in, and a warm home to
protect me so that I can get some much needed rest without worry. In pretty
much any situation, there is a way to choose joy over upset. And when you make
a conscious decision to pick joy, it changes your outlook on everything for the
better. I could use more joy and positivity. I can’t wait to see how my life changes this year
because of these new choices. I hope this inspires you to have a wonderful 2016
and choose joy!
xoxo,
Katie
